Perils of Being a Financial Analyst

By no stretch of imagination is being a financial analyst an easy job. For those bewildered souls still pondering and wondering the exact nature of the repertoire of a financial analyst, this is what the professional does. Financial Analysts hired by Marketing Research Companies do their research in financial domains such as securities, equities and investments. A senior financial analyst employed with a leading Marketing Research Company in India uses the principles of fundamental analysis to conduct his research. Most of his work pertaining to assessment, the analyst renders ratings and makes recommendations on investment actions. Analysts carry the onus of obtaining precise information, most of it coming from available databases, records, filings and repositories. They do a lot of balance sheet analysis, examining financial statements to assess lending risks. They also analyze commodity prices, sales, costs, expenses, tax rates etc. to find out the value and future earnings of a company. Marketing Research Companies which do a lot of research in the financial domain provide their analysts with sophisticated software to conduct research. Besides, the professionals use spreadsheets and statistical software packages for extensive analysis, forecasting and spotting trends. Their reports and presentations and specifically based on these. Senior analysts working in highly reputed research firms are usually given the authority to buy and sell for the company or client if they have been managing and calculating assets. Fellow researchers use the available data to calculate and estimate risks, and aid their seniors in taking better decisions. Apart from working in a leading Marketing Research Company in India, such professionals are also employed in investment banks. They are usually put in the securities division, where they advice companies trying to sell their shares to the public. Marketing Research Companies make them pitch to prospective investors regarding the merits and demerits of investing in various companies. They are often put in charge of the mergers and acquisition departments, where they handle Joint Ventures and oversee company purchases. They team up to work as both buy-side analysts and sell-side analysts. A good Marketing Research Company in India collects industry data, mainly balance sheets, income statements, capital adequacy in the banking sector, financial news, merger and acquisition history etc. They are driven by an objective to help their clients take better decisions regarding investments across a diverse range of financial domains. Their job also delegates an additional responsibility on their shoulders to evaluate the ability of a company to repay debts. There are several other tasks that often get assigned to analysts specializing in finance, ranging from studying budget performances to costing, credit analysis to asset distribution, doing paper work to studying graphs etc. All those who thought working in the financial domain was some walk in the park, rethink your strategy. Contemplate again. It may be not as rosy as you expect it to be. In fact, the difficulties may be beyond what you can manage. So take up a career in it only if you can handle the graphs and have the patience to study the toughest of financial nuances.